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E. B. Krumbhaar papers

MSS 2/0344

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held
at the Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Unless
otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our
reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Edward Bell Krumbhaar (1882-1966) was a distinguished pathologist and cardiac physician, as well as one of Philadelphia’s
leading historians of medicine. A founder of both the Section on Medical History of the College of Physicians and the American
Association of the History of Medicine (AAHM), Krumbhaar also served as president of the College and of the AAHM. The E.B.
Krumbhaar papers covers Krumbhaar’s accomplishments and contributions to pathology and cardiac physiology from the early to
mid-twentieth century. This collection contains Krumbhaar’s research files, administrative records related to organizations
and institutions in which he was involved, correspondence, and medical writings. Particular strengths include documentation
of Krumbhaar’s research on pathology, the founding of the American Association for the History of Medicine in 1930 and 1931,
his service as President of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia from 1939 to 1942, his professorship of Pathology at
the University of Pennsylvania from 1927 to 1942, and his translation of Arturo Castiglioni’s
History of Medicine in 1941.

Biography/History

Edward Bell Krumbhaar (1882-1966) was a distinguished pathologist and cardiac physician, as well as one of Philadelphia’s
leading historians of medicine. A founder of both the Section on Medical History of the College of Physicians and the American
Association of the History of Medicine (AAHM), Krumbhaar also served as president of the College and of the AAHM.

Krumbhaar was born on August 1, 1882 in Philadelphia. He graduated from the Groton School in Massachusetts; from Harvard University
in 1904; and the School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, earning his MD in 1908 and his PhD in 1916. Immediately
after obtaining his medical degree, Krumbhaar served as the resident pathologist at the Pennsylvania Hospital where he learned
from Winfield T. Longscope, the Director of the Ayer Clinical Laboratory at Pennsylvania Hospital. It was because of Longscope
that Krumbhaar began studying “the physiology and pathology of the heart, for which Krumbhaar became famous” (Long, page 121).

When the United States entered World War I, Krumbhaar served in the American Expeditionary Forces in France as a medical officer
conducting autopsies on victims of mustard gas. His wife, Helen Dixon Krumbhaar, also served in World War I, and together
they wrote
Blood and Bone Marrow in Mustard Gas Poisoning.

From 1920 to 1927, he served as Director of Laboratories at the Philadelphia General Hospital. In 1927, Krumbhaar became a
professor of pathology at the University of Pennsylvania and served in that capacity for twenty years, when he retired as
emeritus professor. Krumbhaar was a member of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia for 42 years, founded the Section
on Medical History of the College of Physicians, and served as its president from 1940 to 1943. He also served as editor of
the
American Journal of Medical Sciences. He founded the American Association for the History of Medicine and served as its president.

Krumbhaar’s “talent as a pathologist, editor and medical historian was equaled by his skill as an administrator [and he] published
voluminously in the field of medical history,” (Long, page 123). Throughout his career he published English translations of
works originally in French, German and Italian. He edited Clio’s
Short History of Medicine. Beside his own work, he is best remembered by historians for his revised translation of Arturo Castiglioni’s
History of Medicine (1941).

Krumbhaar died on March 6, 1966 at the age of eighty-four years. He was survived by his wife Helen and their two sons, Peter
and David.

Scope and Contents

The E.B. Krumbhaar papers covers Krumbhaar’s accomplishments and contributions to pathology and cardiac physiology from the
early to mid-twentieth century. This collection contains Krumbhaar’s research files, administrative records related to organizations
and institutions in which he was involved, correspondence, and medical writings. While the collection contains some personal
material, the real strength of the collection is found in the professional records of Krumbhaar’s distinguished medical career.
Particular strengths include documentation of Krumbhaar’s research on pathology, the founding of the American Association
for the History of Medicine in 1930 and 1931, his service as President of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia from 1939
to 1942, his professorship of Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania from 1927 to 1942, and his translation of Arturo
Castiglioni’s
History of Medicine in 1941. There are ten subseries in the collection: “Biographical Material,” “American Association for the History of Medicine,”
“Conferences (Pennsylvania General Hospital) ,” “Correspondence,” “Medical Institutions,” “Publications,” “Research files
and notes,” “United States Army Medical Corps,” “University of Pennsylvania,” and “Writings by E.B. Krumbhaar.”

The “Biographical Material” series, dating from 1899 to the 1960s, contains material related to Krumbhaar’s early life, his
career accomplishments, and his military service. Material on Krumbhaar’s early life includes correspondence dating from 1899
to 1916 and notes written by Krumbhaar about his childhood pets. Of note in this series are two biographies of Krumbhaar,
one written by Samuel X Radbill in 1957 and the other written by Esmond R. Long. There are also several photographs of Krumbhaar
during his service as a surgeon in World War I, and a hand-drawn map (creator unknown) for a World War I Offensive in 1916.

Krumbhaar was a founding member of the American Association for the History of Medicine and his records related to this organization
date from 1930 to 1961. The “American Association for the History of Medicine” series includes administrative records as well
as correspondence, some of which discusses articles Krumbhaar submitted to the organization’s publication, the
Bulletin of the History of Medicine.

The “Conferences” series contains the records of Krumbhaar’s participation in medical conferences on behalf of the Pennsylvania
General Hospital (PGH) from 1921 to 1928. Krumbhaar was involved with both the Pathology and Radiology departments at PGH,
and attended conferences on these subjects.

The “Correspondence” series contains Krumbhaar's incoming and outgoing correspondence related to his medical career and his
professional associations from 1900 to 1969. The subseries “From Edward Bell Krumbhaar” includes letters sent to colleagues
and medical journals from 1915 to 1941. The subseries “
American Journal of Medical Science” contains letters sent to and received by Krumbhaar regarding works he submitted, payments, and requests for reviews from
1924 to 1942. The “Autograph Collection” subseries includes letters collected by Krumbhaar of renowned medical professionals
from 1825 to 1969. The “
Clio Medica” subseries contains letters sent by this publication regarding works submitted by Krumbhaar, and royalties received for this
work from 1929 to 1943. There are also three subseries related to Krumbhaar’s work with the College of Physicians of Philadelphia,
mostly of an administrative nature from 1922 to 1953, including his tenure as Vice President and President of this institution
from 1939 to 1942. This series also includes Krumbhaar’s general correspondence over the course of his medical career from
1921 to 1959. Researchers should note that correspondence was kept in the order it was organized by either Krumbhaar or an
archivist. As a result, it overlaps significantly in date and content throughout the subseries.

The “Medical Institutions” series contains documentation of Krumbhaar’s affiliations with medical institutions outside of
the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. Included in this series are administrative records of his work with Chestnut Hill
Hospital from 1937 to 1938 and College of Physicians of Philadelphia (undated). There are also files on Krumbhaar’s autopsy
and ulcer research at Pennsylvania General Hospital from 1920 to 1937.

The “Publications” series contains editions of several publications that were consulted by Krumbhaar in his research, as well
as some in which his works were published. The “Printed materials and other publications” file contains several medical publications,
some of which include Krumbhaar writings from 1946 to 1954. The “
Journal des Sociétiés Scientifiques” files contain several runs of this publication from 1886 to 1890 that were collected by Krumbhaar.

Many of Krumbhaar’s notes regarding medical subjects in which he was involved throughout his career are contained within the
“Research files and notes” series. Highlights of this series include notes on Arturo Castiglioni’s
History of Medicine which Krumbhaar translated into English, several Pathology drawings by Krumbhaar, notes on the effects of Mustard Gas exposure
during World War I, and several files on the medical effects of Radium. This series dates from 1905 to the 1950s.

The “United States Army Medical Corps” series contains records on Krumbhaar’s involvement with this organization from 1914
to 1939. Included in these records is Krumbhaar’s correspondence with Medical Corps administrators in 1914, 1936, and 1939,
as well as a manual issued by the Medical Corps in 1931.

Krumbhaar’s association with the University of Pennsylvania, as a medical student graduating in 1916, and as professor of
Pathology from 1927 to 1942 is documented in the “University of Pennsylvania” series. Included in the series are several subseries
related to his administrative duties as an academic, including “Accounts,” “Budgets of Pathology Department,” “Correspondence,”
“Minutes,” “Periodicals,” “Reports,” and “Subject and Administrative records.” Also included in this series are “Autopsy Reports”
and “Lecture notes” which reflect Krumbhaar’s research in pathology during this period.

“Writings by E.B. Krumbhaar” includes the notes and manuscripts of E.B. Krumbhaar from 1902 to 1962. Krumbhaar wrote extensively,
and covered both contemporary and historical medical subjects. Several notes and manuscripts for books that were eventually
published can be found in this series, including
The Spleen and Anaemia: Experimental and Clinical Studies,
Isaac Cruikshank: A cataloguraisonne, with a sketch of his life and work,
Pathology, and his translation of Arturo Castiglioni's
History of Medicine.

Krumbhaar’s efforts to preserve the history of medicine are well documented in this collection and researchers interested
in the history of medicine, generally, and more specifically in the history of pathology will find this collection to be extremely
valuable. Further, there is extensive material regarding the history and operation of several Philadelphia medical institutions,
such as the University of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Hospital, and “Old Blockley.” Krumbhaar was interested in physicians
who made significant contributions to the field of medicine and wrote biographical sketches, obituaries and memorials which
are contained within this collection. Finally, he appears to have been particularly interested in several organs (the heart
and the spleen), medical conditions (extra-uterine pregnancies), and procedures (autopsies) and his notes and writings on
them are included throughout his papers. Krumbhaar’s autopsy reports on and writings regarding mustard gas victims during
World War I may be of great interest to both medical historians as well as researchers interested in military history.

Administrative Information

Publication Information

Finding Aid Author

Sponsor

The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered
through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project. This
collection was minimally processed to the folder level.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the College of Physicians of Philadelphia Historical Medical Library with
requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.

Processing Information note

The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered
through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.

This collection was
minimally processed in 2009-2011, as part of an experimental project conducted under the auspices of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special
Collections Libraries to help eliminate processing backlog in Philadelphia repositories. A minimally processed collection
is one processed at a less intensive rate than traditionally thought necessary to make a collection ready for use by researchers.
When citing sources from this collection, researchers are advised to defer to folder titles provided in the finding aid rather
than those provided on the physical folder.

Employing processing strategies outlined in Mark Greene's and Dennis Meissner's 2005 article,
More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Processing Approaches to Deal With Late 20th-Century Collections, the project team tested the limits of minimal processing on collections of all types and ages, in 23 Philadelphia area repositories.
A primary goal of the project, the team processed at an average rate of 2-3 hours per linear foot of records, a fraction of
the time ordinarily reserved for the arrangement and description of collections. Among other time saving strategies, the project
team did not extensively review the content of the collections, replace acidic folders or complete any preservation work.

Subject(s)

Collection Inventory

Series I. Biographical material, 1899-1960s.

Biography written by Samuel X Radbill; Biography written by Esmond R. Long, 1957.

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1

Biography written for National Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1935.

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2

Career Achievements, 1912-1957.

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3

Early personal correspondence, 1899-1912.

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4

Harvard University Fifty Year Reunion, 1955.

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5

Memorabilia, 1903-1914.

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6

Notes on family pets, undated.

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7

Pennsylvania Hospital collected material, 1960s.

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8

Photographs: early, World War I, career, undated.

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9

World War I and World War II records: Map of World War I offensive (1916); Letter from American General Hines (1920); and
World War II newspaper clipping "Pennsylvania Nurses like New Caledonia" (1942), 1916, 1920, 1942.

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Series II. American Association for the History of Medicine (AAHM), 1930-1955.